Monster plec shopping list!

[tuffers]

i am now Seriously looking into growing a giant plec! i am looking to buy a four foot long tank. i think it is only about a foot and a half deep (by deep i mean from front to back). is this enough?and i need to know what sort of filtration i need. do i need under gravel filter as well as a submersed filter? what do i put on the bottom of the tank that is ideal for a plec? peat,sand,gravel,pebbles.price is not an issue. i just want a perfect tank. maintainence is not an issue either. and i am looking forward to any imput you have to offer me.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I think your going to want a 2ft wide tank to house a plec the size that you want. Maybe more in terms of length too. I think sand it a good substrate and the poo can be cleaned from on it rather than under/in it like with gravel.

I don't know about filters but it's going to have to be a pretty good one IMO!

 

[plecoguy]

ok, well, i agree a bigger tank would be better...

Gravel- pros, hides the waste nicely, easy to plant things in. cons, its hiding food
that gets trapped that can later be eaten after it spoils and potentially harming fish

Sand- pros, looks nice, easy to get waste off the top of it, doesnt hide the food. cons, can get kicked up with large plecos and make a mess, clog filters.

Barebottom- pros, easy to clean, no mess to kick up, no hiding of food. cons, doesn look as "natural", shows all the poop (which will be alot)

i like the barebottom for my discus...but plecos always make it messy, sand is cool looking. I do not recommend under gravel filters, they hide all sorts of stuff...unless you have lots of circulation running throught it, i woudnt do it...just my opinion.

Filters, i would run a couple hang on the back filters like the bio-wheels kind, they are easy to clean and work well. and you shouldnt have a problem, but do good amounts of water changes with the gravel vac. to remove that long poop from the pleco.

anymore questions?

 

[tuffers]

So my bro will need:

A 2 foot deep (wide) and 4-5foot long tank
With sand
Suitable decor (such as rocks, bogwood plants etc etc)
No undergravel (well...sand) filter
2 hang on the back filters

Gravel vacuum (fairly large)
All of the pH teast stuff (ammonia nitrate nitrite etc)
Plenty of algae!!!
And one commen pleco!

If there isx anything else I may need could you let me know?
i.e. what type of heater will I need?

your advice is great, much better than the internet!

hanks from Tuffers (and his bro.)

 

[Cheese Specialist]

So my bro will need:

A 2 foot deep (wide) and 4-5foot long tank
With sand
Suitable decor (such as rocks, bogwood plants etc etc)
No undergravel (well...sand) filter
2 hang on the back filters

Gravel vacuum (fairly large)
All of the pH teast stuff (ammonia nitrate nitrite etc)
Plenty of algae!!!
And one commen pleco!

If there isx anything else I may need could you let me know?
i.e. what type of heater will I need?

your advice is great, much better than the internet!

hanks from Tuffers (and his bro.)

I think as common plecs get bigger, their diet changes and they like more 'meaty' foods.

Like the plan so far, sounds great!!

 

[tuffers]

what sort of meaty foods do they eat? what could i feed him that would make him the healthiest and best looking plec in the land? i'm sure there must be a secret to keeping a superb looking plec. just like dogs if you see what i mean? anyway. my brother is right. all your help has been amazing. but do i need hang on the back filters? the tank i had in mind is a big cabinet and it has a wooden lid if you see what i mean? it is like a whole unit. are hang on back filters compatible or necaserry. would the plec like a tank with alot of decor in it or do they like it plain? with just a couple of plants and bits of wood? Basically. the plec i am looking to get belongs to my brother at the moment. and it is about 4/5 inches long. he has a tank which is about 2ft long. do you have any idea of what size the plec will grow to in it? it is a community tak so there are about 20 other small fish with it. will this effect it? and are there any fish i could keep with my plec that live with it in the wild.? i am thinking of having one large fish with it but i am not sure yet. i want my tank to look 300% natural. so i am thinking maybe not a ciclid because they are african and i am sure that the plec is from brazil or something is this right?

 

[plecoguy]

well, you dont need to use hang on the back filters, you can use canisters, but i dont like them as well, i find them harder to clean, and just a real pain...i like the ease of the hang on the back kind. more meaty diets will be wanted and things like blood worms can be used or shrimp etc. I would definately not put cichlids in the tank, cause they may pic on the plec and that would give him pretty bad looking fins. but now it sounds like you know what you want, so, good luck with everything

if you want a pleco that is cooler than the common, but still gets big, go gibbiceps pleco (sailfin) i have one right now that is almost a foot long. i have to sell it soon though. But their fin is soo nice looking....look in to them

 

[ryan]

If your looking into growing the gaints (Gibbiceps and Common Plecs) then you will need a tank of a little over two feet wide. I would go for a sand bottom and furnish the tank with rock caves and bogwood. A Plec of that size will need some serious filtation so I would invest in an external filter.

 

[Angel Lady]

Hey tuffers my pleco is on its way to being a giant. And all I done was feed him shrimp pellets and I also bought a power head. This makes him feel more at home fighting a current. I gave him algee wafers to. He is going on 19 inches long and I have him in a 55 gallon tank. And he is right at home I know I will be needing a bigger tank as he continues to grow. But I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

[drobbins27]

I bought a common pleco when he was two inches. In the past month, hes grown an extra two inches! How fast do these bad boys grow!!!

 

[silver]

Okay.........I am now scared
How big will my chocolate pleco get?

I have a 55 gallon, but I'm only counting him as 12" of fish at maturity!!!



Uh oh......



Silver